Clam-shell bucket



April 29, 1952 E. T. FREYER CLAM-SHELL BUCKET 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed April 15, 1948 E. T. FREYER CLAM April 29, 1952 -SHELL BUCKET 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed April 15, 1948 INVENTOR. fi mmffrgyer I tturn 63/ Patented Apr. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLAM- SHELL BUCKET Ernest T. Freyer, Chicago, Ill. Application April 13, 1948, Serial No. 20,752

1 Claim.

1 My invention relates to clam shell buckets. An important object of my invention is to provide an attachment consisting of special jaw means, attachable removably or permanently to a clam shell bucket structure making it more adaptable to move loads consisting of irregular g straight on their interior, and have an arcuate rock-like materials or an admixture of such irregular rock-like materials and granular materials, such as irregular stones and sand in admixture, or irregular elements such as coal.

It has been customary to employ clam shell buckets which are operated and manipulated from a remote point through a boom and prime mover means, provided with certain manipulative controls, operable by an operator so that the same may be used to transport loads of material from one point to another.

Considerable energy, power, and time are consumed in moving the clam shell bucket from the point of loading to the point of unloading, and it is in this particular operation that the clam shell bucket, in certain instances, has proved inefiicient and a time and power waster.

The standard clam shell bucket is comprised of two jaws which close in sealed relationship longitudinally as well as horizontally forming a complete enclosure. This type of bucket is ideal when used in connection with granular materials, because such granular materials will not interfere with or impede the closing of the bucket. However, when rocks or an admixture of rocks and sand are to be moved from one point to another, the bucket may travel empty due to the fact that a stone of certain irregular dimension, such as 29 or 30, may become lodged in the vertical edges of the jaw thereof, preventing the bucket from closing at the bottom thereof, and thus, by the action of gravity, causing all of the granular and other materials to escape through the opening in the clam shell bucket.

The tendency in the past has been to design buckets to overcome this difficulty by providing cracking or cutting edges on the jaws of the bucket, so as to break the said stones. Stones that are unbreakable, of course, would militate against efiicient operation of the clam shell bucket.

It has been therefore, a prime object of my invention not to produce a bucket that will militate against the unwieldy; irregular objects which I parent from an examination of the accompanymay have to be encountered in lifting loads from one point and transplanting them at another point, by yielding to the least resistance, in providing clam shell buckets which have jaws formed with a recessed portion permitting closure at the bottom only of the jaws of the bucket, leaving the sides open to more or less accommodate the boulder or unwieldy, unbreakable objects that may find their way between the said jaws.

2 It is therefore a prime object of my invention to provide a clam shell bucket having jaws which are primarily and preferably of U-shaped structure, consisting of two attachable leg portions, terminating in a lower lip portion. The attaching portions having edges which are partially portion to meet the enlarged and wider lip portion at the bottom; so that when the lips of the bucket are brought into contacting and intimate closure, the sides will remain open having a tapered opening graduated from the top toward the center and from the bottom toward the center, resembling more or less an oval configuration.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment for clam shell buckets of standard construction whereby the said attachment will consist of jaws constructed in accordance with the teachings hereinabove mentioned, so that the same may be attached permanently or removably to a clam shell bucket depending on the work that is to be done or the loads that are to be moved.

A further object of my invention is to provide lips of the aforementioned character which may be articulately secured to the jaws of a clam shell bucket, providing also for adjustment of the same, to operative and inoperative positions, permitting the clam shell bucket to operate in a normal manner, or in the improved manner as taught by my invention, and also to adjust the lips comprising my invention whenever wear is occasioned at the contacting edges or lower lip portions thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide a clam shell bucket provided with jaws, which when closed seal the bottom mating lips of the said jaws, the side lip portions forming a recessed portion there between to accommodate, rather than militate against larger irregular masses in a load to be moved thereby.

A further object of my invention is to provide a structure of the aforementioned character which is simple in construction, which is practical and useful for the purposes purported that it be used, and which is of such elemental construction as to warrant economical manufacture thereof, in quantity production.

Other features, advantages, and ancillary objects inherent in my invention will become aping drawings and the ensuing description, where like symbols are used to denote like parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the elemental structural relationship of the parts comprising my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing my invention attached to a standard type of clam shell bucket.

Figure 3 is a slightly modified form of my invention shown attached to a standard clam shell bucket.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the modification illustrated in Figure 3, showing the same adjusted to inoperative position permitting the normal operation of the clam shell bucket.

Figure is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 5a is a clam shell bucket specially constructed expounding the principal teachings of my invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, my invention is generally designated 12, and is attached to a clam shell bucket generally designated 6, having two manipulatable jaws I articulately secured at H and suitably arranged to be operated to open and closed positions by the articulate lever connections 8 and a suitable prime mover for causing the same to function.

My invention in this particular illustration consists of U-shaped jaws, a pair thereof, which are each secured to the jaws 'l of the clam shell bucket 6. It will be noticed in Figure 2 that these jaws have their upright portions I4 secured by bolts or rivets 5 to the jaws I, and that the lower lip portions [3 are wider than the widths of these arms or attaching arms 4, The attaching arms 14 have a contacting edge l8 so that the two edges N3 of the respective elements l2 will be in contacting relationship when the bucket is closed as indicated in Figure 2. The normal point of closure occasioned by the edges 9 and iii of the jaws I will thus remain partly open as indicated by the dotted lines.

The securing upright arms 14 are provided with a narrow straight-sided inner jaw portion 16, and an arcuate portion I! inter-connecting the arms so that they will meet at the edge Hi. In using jaws of this type for materials such as indicated at 29 and 30 a closure is always assured, thus a load is always transported. The said jaws, instead of remaining open as they would if the standard clam shell bucket were used, will close inasmuch as the irregular elements 29 and 30 will find their best accommodations in the oval-like arrangement resulting when the bucket is closed from the jaw edges I 6 and i1 hereinbefore mentioned and recited. Thus the mating lips, or lip edges ill, will always be closed and in contacting relationship and thus cause considerable material to be held and transported within the clam shell bucket regardless of whether the load consists of irregular elements, as 29 and 3B, or a mixture thereof with granular materials. However, when such a mixture is picked up and transported with the normal clam shell bucket, since the lower edges thereof will remain open, most of the granular material, and smaller rock-like material will escape therethrough thus wasting time, power, and effort.

Labor being an important element to consider is, of course, used to the best advantage when a bucket is equipped with the jaws that I have indicated. A bucket may be constructed directly with the jaw-edges 9 and it! to conform to the curvatures l6 and H and the lower lip I3 (see Fig. 5a) without providing an attachment, as I have indicated. However, the object and advantages to be derived therefrom will be the same. I

Inasmuch as a clam shell bucket at certain times may be more desirably used when in its normal construction, I have provided a slight modification illustrated in Figures 3, 4, and 5,

which uses a standard clam shell bucket and attached to the jaws thereof are jaws generally designated as 20, which have a similar construction to those indicated and generally designated l2, with the exception that at their rearward edge, they are provided with an ear 2! in which is inscribed or cut out, an arcuate recess 22, so that the jaws being mounted articulately at i9, and by virtue of a fastening means 23, and secured to the jaws l of the clam shell bucket 6, will permit adjusting the lip edges 28 to operative or inoperative positions as shown in Figure 4, where the edges 9 and H] are in intimate contacting relationship, whereas the jaws comprising my invention are in inoperative position. Yet in the illustration indicated in Figure 3, whenever it is necessary with slight adjustment, the teachings and practices made available by my invention may be instantaneously set up; thus, the jaws are always attached to the clam shell bucket and need never be removed.

It will also be noted that these jaws 20 are provided with straight-sided jaw portions 25 and arcuate portions 25 so that when the same are closed an oval formation similar to that indicated in Figure 2 results.

I believe I have herein described and expostulated rather succinctly the nature as Well as the construction, and advantages provided by my invention, and inasmuch as the same is susceptible of modifications, alterations and improvements, I hereby reserve the right to all such modifications, alterations and improvements coming within the scope and spirit of my invention; my invention being limited only to the appended claim.

Having thus disclosed and revealed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a clam shell bucket provided with two jaw sections adapted to open and close in sealed relationship at the bottom and sides thereof, an attachment comprising two auxiliary jaw sections of U shaped formation, the bottom lip portions of the said auxiliary jaw sections being wider than the upright attaching portions thereof, the said upright portions merging with the said bottom lip portions so as to form an opening between the lip portions of the said upright portions when the said bottom lip portions are in intimate contacting relationship, the said auxiliary jaw sections being articulately attached to the said first mentioned jaw sections, adjusting means secured to the first-mentioned jaw sections, and slotted ear portions on the said auxiliary jaw sections engaging the said adjusting means affording adjustment of the said auxiliary jaw sections to operative and inoperative positions.

ERNEST T. FREYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 153,395 Symonds July 21, 1874 713,202 Bush Nov. 11, 1902 989,832 Butler Apr. 18, 1911 1,297,132 Frandrei Mar. 11, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 296,489 Germany Feb. 10,- 191'. 

